Kandara Guest House

A brick frontage and glossy red front door make a cheery first impression for this family-run bed-and-breakfast. Inside, the lobby and hallways are bright and well kept. But the retro leaf-patterned wallpaper and overhead light fixtures clash with the dark red carpet. A wall-mounted display of leaflets detracts from the homely feel, too, and the dark-wood banisters and white spindles add to the dated look, while pine-wood drawers -- with trailing router wires -- look out of place. Still, attractive white wood trim and period stained-glass windows give the interiors a vintage charm. The bright, airy and light-flooded breakfast room feels more modern, though also more generic, with plain cream walls, white wood trim, green carpet, and IKEA-esque tan-wood tables and chairs.

On a peaceful tree-lined street in a residential neighborhood, the Kandara is shielded from its busy neighborhood of Islington. It's just a 10-minute walk to Canonbury London Overground Station, with tube connections to central London. The property is also well positioned for bus connections, with a number of routes passing the end of the road, and there are local shops, cafes and restaurants nearby, too. Local attractions include the Almeida Theatre, an 18-minute walk or four-minute drive away, and the Camden Passage antiques market, 20 minutes away on foot or five minutes by car. It’s a six-minute drive or 16-minute bus ride to the O2 Academy Islington, and Arsenal Football Club’s Emirates Stadium is a seven-minute drive or 17-minute train ride away. As for central London sights, the London Eye, Leicester Square, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Oxford Street are all within a 20-minute drive or 40-minute tube ride. Piccadilly Circus is a 19-minute drive or 26-minute tube ride, while Knightsbridge is 23 minutes away by car or 36 minutes by public transport. London City is the closest of the capital’s three major airports, a 25-minute drive or 48-minute tube ride; Heathrow Airport is 45 minutes away by car or just over an hour by public transport, while Gatwick Airport is over an hour away by road or public transport.

The Kandara’s 10 rooms are comfortable, quiet, and generally spacious (though some are on the smaller side), but they can be dated in parts. Large and comfortable beds have old-fashioned pine-wood frames and headboards, and dated linens in a faded '80s-style pattern. Off-white walls with framed prints and carpet in gray or dark red give a neutral backdrop. Gorgeous original sash windows have a mix of elegant floor-length curtains and others that are shorter and more old-fashioned. There are decent-sized pine-wood desks, elegant padded armchairs, and large closets, and each room has a freestanding sink with an overhead mirror. Family Rooms are more spacious and have both a double and single bed, while Single Rooms can be particularly compact. Some rooms have impersonal and outdated noticeboards of posters containing room information, which are an eyesore. Rear-facing rooms have attractive garden views, but those looking onto the street are equally pleasant. Other standard amenities include individual heating, flat-screen TVs, coffee- and tea-making facilities, hairdryers, and free Wi-Fi; there are no fridges or safes, which is common for mid-range bed-and-breakfasts in London.

None of the rooms have en-suite bathrooms -- but the five shared bathrooms are bright and spacious, if slightly dated in parts, and guests report rarely having to wait to use them. They sport a mix of white floor tiling with patterned or peach-colored mosaic trim; some have patterned cream floor tiling, while others go for more dated wood-effect linoleum.

As a small bed-and-breakfast, the Kandara has few facilities to speak of. But the free cooked and continental breakfast is a highlight for many guests, as is the friendliness of the owners, who are full of local knowledge. There’s reliable free Wi-Fi throughout, and free overnight parking is available on the street outside, though charges apply in the daytime.